Surgical absorbent dressing.



Patented may 27, I902.

' R. W. JOHNSON. SURGICAL ABSURBENT DRESSING.

(Application filed Mar. 1. 1902.)

(No Model.)

INVENTOR Robert 7% Jmmm y 6.6. 77Za4azm/ WITNESSES J m JzzWaL A Home mt norms PETERS co. wowmnu. msnmomu. o c.

NrrnnSrnrns PATENT ROBERT 1V. JOHNSON, OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NEIV JERSEY.

SURGICAL ABSORBENT DRESSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 700,5139, dated May 2'7, 1902. Application filed March 1, 1902. Serial No. 96,290. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT W. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Brunswick, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surgical Absorbent Dressing, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to surgical dressings of cotton, lint, and other material suitably prepared to render them sterile and packed substantially as stated in Patent No. 582,925 granted to me May 18, 1897; and the object of my improvement is to produce a surgical dressing still more absorbent and in parts of superposed sheets of cobwebby rumpled cellulose tissue or paper with a very thin bat of absorbent cotton between each of the sheets of rumpled paper and the whole series of aseptic materials placed upon a sheet of tissuepaper and formed into a compact roll with the tissue-paper on the outside of the roll for a dust-proof covering. I attain this object by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a roll of surgical absorbent dressing prepared in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of such a roll having more numerous coils and the material more tightly compressed.

In said drawings the numeral 2 represents a series of superposed layers of cobwebby rumpled cellulose tissue or paper obtained from wood-pulp mixed with hot water and made to pass on a sieve and around cylinders in a very thin sheet,where it is partly dried and then scraped therefrom. The production of said rumpled cellulose paper and its nature are fully described in United States Patent No.l68,480,dated February 9,1892. Although said cellulose tissue-paper is very soft and flexible, sheets of it rubbed together do not become matted, as carded wood-pulp or cotton fibers are liable to be, and it has enough cohesion to retain its form even when subjected to a certain amount of friction.

Although there would be a certain amount of cohesion between a series of sheets of rumpled paper on account of said rumpled condition, it is desired to have still more adhesion between the sheets, and for this purpose a very thin hat or a small amount of fibers of absorbent cotton (shown at 1) is placed between each sheet of paper and the adjacent one. lhe bat beingpreferably as thin or even thinner than one of the sheets of tissuepaper, there is no danger that it will become matted to any appreciable amountbyfriction of the material.

The series of compound layers of rumpled cellulose tissue 2 and of absorbent cotton (shown by dots at 1) are spread upontissuepaper 3, having close texture much stronger than the cellulose tissue 2 and substantially impermeable to air and its impurities and the layers wrapped spirally together in as compact a roll as possible, as shown in Fig. 2, the length of the wrapping-paper 3 being such as to go beyond the edge of the surgical dressing to perfectly protect its sides against contact witlrthe air; but its fuzzy ends are then still partially exposed. To correct this defective condition of the roll, a small portion of its ends is removed by rapidly-revolving knives moving at right angles to the axis of the roll, giving to said ends a board-like smoothness. The whole roll is then carefully wrapped in a larger sheet of tissue-paper.

I am aware that sheets of rumpled tissuepaper have been made and that said sheets have been superposed; but they have hardly any adhesion, except what is due to their rum.- pled condition. I am also aware that alternate layers of cotton and of carded wood-pulp have been made; but carded wood-pulp has less cohesion than cotton batting, having much shorter fibers, while rumpled tissue-paper has much more cohesion than the same amount of cotton-batting, and consequently the dressing obtained of alternate layers of rumpled tissue-paper and a thin bat of absorbent cotton is less liable to be pulled apart and is stronger than could be obtained from carded wood-pulp and cotton.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim- 1. A surgical dressing consisting of series of layers of rumpled cellulose tissue-paper, and a very thin bat of absorbent cotton between each layer of rumpled paper and adhering thereto substantially as described.

2. A surgical absorbent dressing consisting of series of layers of rumpled cellulose tissuepaper, and a thin hat of absorbent cotton between each layer-of rumpled paper .in combination with a wrapper of tissue-paper imper- 1o Ineable to air substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT W. JOHNSON.

Witnesses: EDWARD MORRIS, H. B. HINE. 

